Will ‘Kefir Beer’ be the Next Healthy Craft Beer in Market?

Published Date : Jan 06, 2016

Establishment of several local breweries, along with strong marketing strategies and promotional activities by key players has led to significant growth of the global beer market. The production of beer has surged in recent times owing to different brewing techniques and ingredients for achieving several varieties and tastes. Rise in disposable income and rapidly growing beer-consuming population have also augmented the growth of the overall market. Though high taxes and duties have been imposed on manufacturing and sale of beer across many regions, it has not deterred the demand for beer among the masses.

Lately, the demand for craft beer has surged. Craft beer is produced by microbreweries that are much smaller than large-scale corporate breweries and are mostly independently owned. These microbreweries focus on innovation and hence, the taste of craft beer is usually different from those manufactured by large-scale beer manufacturing companies. Further, craft beer manufactured in microbreweries is in limited amount. With enhanced taste and limited supply, craft beer has gained wide appreciation among beer-consuming population. Though it is tough for microbreweries to compete with large-scale beer producers, the growing demand for craft beer reflects the consumer preference for microbreweries over large-scale breweries.

A new study reveals that a craft beer made with ingredients from kefir- fermented milk drink similar to yoghurt, might bring health benefits. Researchers in Brazil have observed the effect of “kefir beer” on rats and have found that it reduces inflammation and stomach ulcers that had been induced in the rats for the study. Though the concept might seem interesting, it is too early to determine if the health benefits would apply to humans also. To make the kefir beer, researchers added kefir grains containing yeast and bacteria to a barley malt. Though both regular beer and kefir beer reduced inflammation in rats, the effect of kefir beer was higher than that of regular beer.